Tribute

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File:A procession of high-ranking Assyrian officials followed by tribute bearers from Urartu. From Khorsabad, Iraq. Iraq Museum.jpg

A procession of high-ranking Assyrian officials followed by tribute bearers from Urartu. From Khorsabad, Iraq, c. 710 BCE. Iraq Museum

File:Apadana Persepolis Iran.JPG

Objects in the "Apadana" reliefs at Persepolis: armlets, bowls, and amphorae with griffin handles are given as tribute.

A tribute (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> from Latin tributum, "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state conquered. In the case of alliances, lesser parties may pay tribute to more powerful parties as a sign of allegiance. Tributes are different from taxes, as they are not collected in the same regularly routine manner that taxes are.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Further, with tributes, a recognition of political submission by the payer to the payee is uniquely required.<ref name="Michael Smith" />

OverviewEdit

The Aztec Empire is another example, as it received tribute from the various city-states and provinces that it conquered.<ref name="Berdan" />

Ancient China received tribute from various states such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Central Asia.<ref name="Lockard 2007">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Aztec EmpireEdit

Tributes as a form of governmentEdit

The Aztecs used tributes as a means for maintaining control over conquered areas. This meant that rather than replacing existing political figures with Aztec rulers or colonizing newly conquered areas, the Aztecs would simply collect tributes.<ref name="Motyl">Template:Cite book</ref> Ideally, there was no interference in the local affairs of conquered peoples unless these tributes were not paid.<ref name="Berdan">Template:Cite book</ref>

There were two types of provinces that paid tribute to the Aztec Empire. First, there were strategic provinces.<ref name="Michael Smith">Template:Cite book</ref> These provinces were considered client states, as they consensually paid tributes in exchange for good relations with the Aztecs.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Second, there were tributary provinces or tributary states.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> These provinces were mandated to pay a regular tribute, whether they wanted to or not.<ref name="Michael Smith" />

The hierarchy of tribute collectionEdit

Many different levels of Aztec officials were involved in managing the empire's tribute system.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The lowest ranking officials were known as calpixque.<ref name="Calnek">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Evans">Template:Cite book</ref> Their job was to collect, transport, and receive tributes from each province.<ref name="Calnek" /><ref name="Evans" /> Sometimes one calpixque was assigned to an entire province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> Other times, multiple calpixques were assigned to each province.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> This was done to ensure that there was one calpixque present at each of the provinces' various towns.<ref name="Michael Smith" /> One rank higher than the calpixque were the huecalpixque.<ref name="Calnek" /> They served as managers of the calpixque.<ref name="Calnek" /> Above the huecalpixque were the petlacalcatl.<ref name="Calnek" /> Based in Tenochtitlan, they oversaw the entire tribute system.<ref name="Calnek" /> There was also a military trained official known as the cuahtlatoani.<ref name="Calnek" /> They were only involved when newly conquered provinces resisted paying tribute.<ref name="Calnek" />

Types of tributesEdit

Natural resources were in high demand throughout the Aztec Empire because they were crucial for construction, weaponry and religious ceremonies. Certain regions of Mexico with higher quantities of natural resources were able to pay a larger tribute. The basin of Mexico, for instance, had a large resource pool of obsidian and salt ware. This increased usefulness of such regions and played a role in their social status and mobility throughout the empire.<ref name="Peregrine" />

As expansion continued with tribute, the demand for warriors to serve the Empire in their efforts to take control of nearby city/state regions increased drastically. "Land belonged to the city-state ruler, and in return for access to land commoners were obliged to provide their lord with tribute in goods and rotational labor service. They could also be called on for military service and construction projects." It was very common to be called for military service, as it was vital to the expansion of the Aztec Empire.<ref name="Peregrine">Template:Cite book</ref>

Tributes to the Aztec Empire were also made through gold, silver, jade and other metals that were important to Aztec culture and seen as valuable.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ChinaEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also China often received tribute from the states under the influence of Confucian civilization and gave them Chinese products and recognition of their authority and sovereignty in return. There were several tribute states to the Chinese-established empires throughout ancient history, including neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia and Central Asia.<ref name="Lockard 2007" /> This tributary system and relationship are well known as Jimi (Template:Interlanguage link) or Cefeng (Template:Interlanguage link), or Chaogong (Template:Interlanguage link). In Japanese, the tributary system and relationship is referred to as Shinkou (Template:Interlanguage link), Sakuhou (Template:Interlanguage link) and Choukou (Template:Interlanguage link).

According to the Chinese Book of Han, the various tribes of Japan (constituting the nation of Wa) had already entered into tributary relationships with China by the first century.<ref>Book of the Later Han, "會稽海外有東鯷人分爲二十餘國"</ref> However, Japan ceased to present tribute to China and left the tributary system during the Heian period without damaging economic ties. Although Japan eventually returned to the tributary system during the Muromachi period in the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it did not recommence presenting tribute, and it did not last after Yoshimitsu's death (Note that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was a Shogun, hence technically, he was not the head of the state. Hence, this made him subordinate to both the emperor of Japan and the Chinese emperor at the same time. The Japanese emperor continued to refuse to join the tributary system).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to the Korean historical document Samguk Sagi (Template:Korean), Goguryeo sent a diplomatic representative to the Han dynasty in 32 AD, and Emperor Guangwu of Han officially acknowledged Goguryeo with a title.<ref>≪삼국사기≫에 의하면 32년(고구려 대무신왕 15)에 후한으로 사신을 보내어 조공을 바치니 후한의 광무제(光武帝)가 왕호를 회복시켜주었다는 기록이 있다 («Tang» 32 years, according to (Goguryeo Daemusin 15) sent ambassadors to the generous tribute to the Emperor Guangwu of Han Emperor in abundance (光武帝) gave evidence that can restore wanghoreul -- Google translation?)</ref> The tributary relationship between China and Korea was established during the Three Kingdoms of Korea,<ref name="Pratt, Rutt & Hoare 1999">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Kwak, Tae-Hwan et al. (2003). Template:Google books; excerpt, "Korea's tributary relations with China began as early as the fifth century, were regularized during the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), and became fully institutionalized during the Yi dynasty (1392-1910)."</ref> but in practice it was only a diplomatic formality to strengthen legitimacy and gain access to cultural goods from China.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This continued under different dynasties and varying degrees until China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895.<ref name="Pratt, Rutt & Hoare 1999"/><ref>Kwak, Template:Google books; excerpt, "The tributary relations between China and Korea came to an end when China was defeated in the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895. In fact, the present North Korea is more or less serving as a tribute of China in the modern times;"</ref><ref>Lane, Roger. (2008). Template:Google books</ref>

The relationship between China and Vietnam was a "hierarchic tributary system".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> China ended its suzerainty over Vietnam with the Treaty of Tientsin (1885) following the Sino-French War. Thailand was always subordinate to China as a vassal or a tributary state since the Sui dynasty until the Taiping Rebellion of the late Qing dynasty in the mid-19th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Some tributaries of imperial China encompasses suzerain kingdoms from China in East Asia has been prepared.<ref>Gundry, R. S. "China and her Tributaries," Template:Google books</ref> Before the 20th century, the geopolitics of East and Southeast Asia were influenced by the Chinese tributary system. This assured them their sovereignty and the system assured China the incoming of certain valuable assets. "The theoretical justification" for this exchange was the Mandate of Heaven, that stated the fact that the emperor of China was empowered by the heavens to rule, and with this rule the whole mankind would end up being beneficiary of good deeds. Most of the Asian countries joined this system voluntary.Template:Citation needed

Islamic CaliphateEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Islamic Caliphate introduced a new form of tribute, known as the 'jizya', that differed significantly from earlier Roman forms of tribute. According to Patricia Seed:

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Christians of the Iberian Peninsula translated the term 'jizya' as tributo. This form of tribute was later also applied by the Spanish empire to their territories in the New World.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>